In A Nutshell

Behold the new paradigm:

"U.S. officials claimed that a tough stance toward Iran could backfire, bringing about an opposite outcome to that desired by those who support such measures."


The above statement is all you need to know about the new American diplomacy. It is the distillation of the deepest wish behind all the puppet heads, all the unwashed and incoherent chant leaders, and all the apologia for American exceptionalism these last decades. Moral relativism and narrow political calculation has replaced objective national interest as the philosophical guide of American foreign policy.

Now we will look toward properly credentialed progressive ideologues to support at the expense of democratically elected governments or traditional allies. We will negotiate with the most repressive dictators if doing so gives time for consolidating domestic political power.

We have elected a government filled with a majority that views individual liberty as an obstacle, not the reason for their offices.


I liked Ronnie better:

"If history teaches anything, it teaches self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly. We see around us today the marks of our terrible dilemma--predictions of doomsday, antinuclear demonstrations, an arms race in which the West must, for its own protection, be an unwilling participant. At the same time we see totalitarian forces in the world who seek subversion and conflict around the globe to further their barbarous assault on the human spirit. What, then, is our course? Must civilization perish in a hail of fiery atoms? Must freedom wither in a quiet, deadening accommodation with totalitarian evil?"

and

" The objective I propose is quite simple to state: to foster the infrastructure of democracy, the system of a free press, unions, political parties, universities, which allows a people to choose their own way to develop their own culture, to reconcile their own differences through peaceful means.

This is not cultural imperialism; it is providing the means for genuine self-determination and protection for diversity. Democracy already flourishes in countries with very different cultures and historical experiences. It would be cultural condescension, or worse, to say that any people prefer dictatorship to democracy. Who would voluntarily choose not to have the right to vote, decide to purchase government propaganda handouts instead of independent newspapers, prefer government to worker-controlled unions, opt for land to be owned by the state instead of those who till it, want government repression of religious liberty, a single political party instead of a free choice, a rigid cultural orthodoxy instead of democratic tolerance and diversity?"


In this same speech, Mr. Reagan pointed out that the resilience of the free individual was not something to be taken lightly:

"I've often wondered about the shyness of some of us in the West about standing for these ideals that have done so much to ease the plight of man and the hardships of our imperfect world. This reluctance to use those vast resources at our command reminds me of the elderly lady whose home was bombed in the blitz. As the rescuers moved about, they found a bottle of brandy she'd stored behind the staircase, which was all that was left standing. And since she was barely conscious, one of the workers pulled the cork to give her a taste of it. She came around immediately and said, "Here now -- there now, put it back. That's for emergencies."

On this Independence Day 2009 do not be dismayed. Proudly fly your flag. Go watch a parade, or attend a Tea Party. Burn some burgers. But do not become consumed by anger, nor pessimism. This freedom we celebrate today sprang not from the right government, but from the people, and we will not let it disappear from this nation.

Barak Obama may have big dreams, but this isn't 1917 and he surely is no Lenin.

God bless America, and keep her strong and free. And God bless you and yours, too.

You have a fine day.

Cannon firing in Cherry Hill Park sometime after three today.